Trucking news and briefs for Wednesday, July 23, 2025:
Truck driver escapes scary crash along Wyoming mountain highway
A truck driver escaped with only minor injuries after his truck rolled over and came to rest dangling off the edge of a cliff in Wyoming.
According to the Big Horn County Sheriff’s Office, the crash occurred along U.S. Highway 14-A on Tuesday around 7:30 a.m. The highway was closed most of the day as crews worked to recover the tractor-trailer from the edge of the cliff and clean up the roadway.
“The driver thankfully had only minor injuries and was able to safely extricate from the Semi,” the sheriff’s office said in its Facebook post.
The Cowboy State Daily reported that the truck driver entered a curve along the highway at too high of a speed and overcorrected, which caused the truck to roll onto its passenger side, slide along the jersey barrier and over the edge of the cliff. The truck was left suspended with the cab hanging onto the roadside barrier and the trailer dangling below.
Fuel prices hit highest weekly average since July 2024
Recent increases in the pump price of diesel have fuel at its highest weekly average in more than a year, according to the latest weekly update from the Energy Information Administration.
During the week ending July 21, diesel’s national average jumped 5.4 cents to $3.81 per gallon -- the highest weekly average since the week ending July 15, 2024, when prices averaged $3.83 per gallon. Compared to the same week a year ago, fuel prices are now 3.3 cents higher, EIA reported.
While fuel prices were going up, owner-operators in the spot market were getting squeeze from the other end with broker-posted spot rates falling, according to the weekly Spot Market Insights report from FTR and Truckstop.com. During the week ended July 18, the broad broker-posted spot rate average fell about 4 cents to its lowest level since March. Total rates were 0.4% below the same 2024 week and nearly 10% below the five-year average. Rates excluding a calculated fuel surcharge were nearly flat compared to 2024, up just 0.4%.
In a rare situation, all three principal equipment types saw basically the same decrease in rates week over week, the firms noted.
During the most recent week, diesel prices increased in all regions across the U.S. The Gulf Coast took the largest weekly hike, rising 7.3 cents, followed by the Midwest, where prices increased by 6.2 cents.
Despite the increase, the Gulf Coast still holds the nation’s cheapest diesel at an average of $3.48 a gallon. The most expensive fuel is in California at $4.96/gal.
Prices in other regions, according to EIA:
- New England -- $3.98
- Central Atlantic -- $3.98
- Lower Atlantic -- $3.75
- Midwest -- $3.80
- Rocky Mountain -- $3.77
- West Coast less California -- $4.18
ProMiles’ diesel averages during the same week showed prices increase by 2.6 cents to $3.71/gal. According to the ProMiles Fuel Surcharge Index, the most expensive diesel can be found in California at $5.13, the cheapest in the Gulf Coast region at $3.36.
[Related: What the 'Big Beautiful Bill' legislation means for owner-operator taxes]
South Dakota highway restrictions planned for early August
Truck drivers traveling near Sturgis, South Dakota, in early August should be aware of decreased speed limits along I-90, along with other highway restrictions in the area during the 85th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally being held Aug. 1-10.
Between Thursday, July 31, and Sunday, Aug. 10, the South Dakota Department of Transportation will reduce speed limits on the following highways:
- I-90 -- Speed limit reduced from 75 mph to 65 mph from west of Exit 55 (Deadwood Avenue) in Rapid City to west of exit 30 (Lazelle Street) in Sturgis.
- South Dakota Highway 34 -- Reduced from 65 mph and 45 mph to 35 mph from Blanche Street in Sturgis, east approximately four miles (east of Buffalo Chip).
- South Dakota Highway 79 -- Reduced from 65 mph to 45 mph from the junction of S.D. Highway 34 north approximately two miles (north of Iron Horse Campground) and from one-half mile south of the intersection with Bighorn Road north approximately one mile, near the Full Throttle Saloon and Drag Pipe Saloon approaches.
SDDOT will also deploy message boards and speed trailers at various locations along with the permanent dynamic message boards on the interstate to display messages regarding traffic conditions, crashes causing delays, extreme weather events, and other messages as needed.
In addition to speed limit reductions, SDDOT will activate temporary traffic signals at the following locations:
- S.D. Highway 34/79 and Nellie Avenue
- S.D. Highway 34/79 and Ft. Meade main entrance
- S.D. Highway 34/79 and Glencoe Drive
- S.D. Highway 34 and S.D. Highway 79 east of Sturgis
- S.D. Highway 34 and Ft. Meade Way (Buffalo Chip)
- S.D. Highway 44 and U.S. Highway 385
- U.S. Highway 16 and U.S. Highway 385 east of Hill City
- S.D. Highway 34/79 and 8th Street in Sturgis
- S.D. Highway 34/79 and 11th Street in Sturgis
- Interstate 90 exit 32 WB ramp
- Interstate 90 exit 32 EB ramp
- Interstate 90 exit 55 EB ramp
